Giving everyone a good life

Seven billion at the last count, and still counting. The population of
the world seem to be increasing by the day, filling up every available
space but not much can be said about a corresponding increase in the
standard of living of this seven-plus billion people around the world
especially in the developing parts of africa.
So much work still lie ahead inorder to stem the tide of pathetic
living conditions and sub-human standard of living in order to give
everyone a slight chance at a decent life.
Some steps I believe need to be taken inorder to control the rate at
which the human population increase inorder to ensure that adequate
resources are made available to cater for the needs of majority of the
population.
Although versed in the african tradition of letting nature have its
way when it comes to the issue of procreation, I honestly think that
time has come for some serious steps to be taken to conciously control
the birth rate to make it possible for the resources available to
cater for the needs of the people.
A situation where a single family gives birth to about ten children is
not advisable when the econmic wherewithal is not there to support
such large family.
It would be most unwise for a man with a monthly paying job of 15000
naira ($10) to give birth to even six children. Add to the mix, the
certain external relatives he would have to take care of then you get
a true picture why reason should be brought in when deciding how many
children one ought to have.
So many stress that one can't decide which children would survive or
do well so validating the need to have as many as possible, but the
truth is, having the number of kids one can give adequate care to
increases the odd of them turning out good in life in contrast to
having so many kids with the inherent lack of economic power to take
care of them raising the chances of them not turning out too well or
going through hardship and deprivation in their formative years.
Then, I know that almost all religion do not agree with birth control
and are solidly behind leaving procreation under the control of
nature, I choose to believe that a time has come when such power
should be taken from nature if we are not to end up in a world where
so many do not live what could pass as a -manageable life.
I read in a book where the author stated that procreation was left
undisturbed under the influence of nature in the old past and so was
the death rate under severe natural control - through wars, famine,
drought, diseases, etc- thereby helping to maintain balance on the
population of the world. Then man learnt to revolt against such severe
way by which nature reduce the population of the world and devised
methods to bring the death rate to the bearest mininum, mission
accomplished, but forgot another important aspect of the puzzle, it
didn't devise a corresponding way to reduce the birth rate at least to
maintain the balance nature was effectively doing while unhindered.
This is what I'm advocating, a sincere way through which birth control
can be established effectively which I believe is for the good of all.

Show more kindness and save more lives

The night is cool, almost cold. The stars are out in their numbers but
the moon is hid somwhere in the cloak of dark cloud.
The richness of the earth can be felt with just a faint sniff as the
gentle hum of trees signal the passing of soothing wind on a pleasant
night.
Staring outside my windows, looking transfixed at the peaceful lull of
nightfall, my mind wanders far away, far far away but I don't complain
coz its so much a pleasant trip that leaves me smiling out at the star
filled night, nodding my head in rhythm with the noiseless beat of
swaying palms here and there.

I try to capture the night, to put its perfection in words, but try as
I may, I just don't grasp the right phrases to describe the richness
of tonight.
In midst of such perfection and beauty, I tend to reflect much.
So as my mind wanders I ask myself silently 'How much value do I add
to my world. To the people close around me and to my community. How
much did I add to someone's life today?
How many people smiled because of me and how many lives were
transformed coz of my existence?"
Life sometimes is not just about US. We begin to live life when we
stop thinking of happiness as when we personally don't have any
trouble bothering US.
So many people out in the open are desirous of kindness coz they don't
have any to show them such. That's where you and I come into the
picture. A little kindness here and there do actually add a tremedous
lift to the life of somebody. A kind word, kind smiles, gifts and
sincere love adds a glow to lives that have previously been in
shatters and do in fact help to change a life.

You don't have to be a non-governmental-organisation or own or belong
to one to stretch out hands of kindness to the needy nor own a fat
money-bag to be of help to those in need, what is actually needed is a
kind heart, an open mind and a friendly spirit.
Do you know you can brighten a person's whole day through your smile alone?
Your little act of kindness could be the turning point in the life of
someone who was so very close to losing out in the battle of survival.
I can't stress much on how much a little kindness all around the world
can take care of big problems our atomic bombs, space research & all
can't solve, but what I need you to know is that someone's happiness
out there depends on you.
You would be far happier when so many people draw their happiness from
you. #its a fact I've proved. Love more and show more kindness in
order to bring smiles on the faces of as much people as you can.

Play a part in changing your world.

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A billion reasons to believe in Africa

Coca-cola, the carbonated soft drink giant scored another giant first
with the launch of its- A billion reasons to believe in Africa-
campaign. The timing of this campaign can't be any more perfect. With
the turmoil that africa is going through at the moment,- from
terrorism in Nigeria, military coups and fragile governments in Mali,
border wars between sudan and south sudan,rebel activities in
congo,(and the list goes on), there is every need to remind the
african people that there is still viable reasons to continue to
believe in the dreams of the continent even in the midst of
heart-rending difficulties.
Coca-cola with this have demonstrated that the company is not just all
about making profit and expanding the brand but about giving back to
the african people and supporting them in the midst of the trials
plaguing the continent.
Now, a billion reasons to believe in africa, do you have any? I know
so many people can't even list as little as one, it won't be easy
seeing your loved ones been maimed and still be told to believe in
africa, having to run for dear lives when your homes are been
destroyed for no pluasible reason is enough reason to forget about
africa. The millions of kids still grappling with sickness and hunger
would be justified if they decide to give up on africa.
Though I know all this, (as coca-cola does), I refuse to give up on
africa. Africans continued belief in africa is the first step towards
reforming our continent, the zeal and the commitment must be ever
alive else africa's future is doomed meaning the trevails of the
present would be a child's play compared to what is to come.
The hope of the future generations rest on us, and we can't tell them
we bequeathed a smoldering continent to them because we were facing
diverse challenges, or that we allowed africa to crumble under the
weight of the atrocities ravaging the length and breadth of this
blessed land just because we couldn't stand up to evil, No, the best
option is to rise above these challenges, pool our strength together,
have our resolve rekindled and set a machinery in motion to make good
our land, and this is what coca-cola hope to achieve with this
delightful campaign, its a tool to awaken the true african spirit that
never says never, the african spirit of brotherhood and love,
sincerity and discipline, creativity and genuis.
So I call upon every african to use this campaign as a medium to
double their efforts in order to bring positive growth to africa.
These changes though must start from the top, so, every government in
africa must as a matter of fact begin to put the needs of the african
people ( and I mean in every perspective) before and above their own
personal aspirations. So doing, the chronic corruption, ethnic wars,
bloody struggle for power with its attendant casualties would be
brought to the bearest mininum giving the african people a new lease
of life. The african people must on their part begin to show
commitment in whatever they do, privately and openly, only doing
things which would promote the march to greatness of the african
continent.
Rebels should drop their guns, stop the killings and embrace peace.
Suicide bombers and terrorists should rethink their actions and know
they only hurt their homes which I believe should weigh hard on their
conscience.
There is so many reasons to believe in africa, I have as many reasons
to, do you?.

Why you should read this blog.

What do you guys actually do on twinklepad? The questions have been
endless coming in diverse forms all wanting to know the same thing-
what is this blog all about. For a relatively new blog, its not
unusual to get such requests, people want to know exactly why they
should spend their time reading the posts and the benefits it would be
to them.
Though I cant answer all questions at once , I would try my best in
this post to give answers to the most crucial of questions so that our
esteemed readers would know exactly the idea and philosophy behind
what they are reading and why they should come back to read more.
I have always enjoyed reading newspapers as a kid, even my dad noticed
and I became his right hand man when it came to analysing the dailies.
I enjoyed the reporting a lot but not as much as i enjoyed reading the
columns of veteran journalists over a wide range of subject matters.
I not only wanted to read about facts in the dailies but i wanted to
know the implication of such facts and the views of respected people
concerning it.
I followed a select group of columnists (Dimgba Igwe, Femi Adesina
etc) who I admired not just for their beautiful use and choice of
words but also for their bravery. I'm always mesmerized when I read
how they bear their mind on the issues at stake without caring whose
ox was gored and going ahead to effect positive change and influence
the readers for good.
I believe that so many wrongs can be made right if only they are
brought to light. We here on twinklepad try to shed more light on the
critical issues at stake
globally in diverse areas helping our readers to form better opinions
and give an unbiased analysis of whatever we are commenting on.
Twinklepad is a group of diverse characters who come with different
dimensions so that at any time, the inquisitive mind would have a
right source of information on which to based his or her arguments.
The best part about twinklepad team is that we are all young. We
believe that age should not be a barrier in our quest to make use of
our words to change our world. Though young, we try as much as
possible to give analysis on the basis of strong insight, sincerity
and courage.
We dont believe in defamation or libelous articles so we dont
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We welcome feedback from our readers in form of comments or articles
which help to enrich the arguments.

Feeding africa and saving african kids.

'Would african slum kids ever escape malnutrition?' this is a question
that rings in my head each time I think of the millions of kids who
live a painful life due to the challenge of non availability of
adequate food. Though it is no news that famine is ravaging parts of
africa at the moment, what should be news is that the governments of
these african countries are not doing enough to curb these ugly trend.
In a situation where emphasis are placed on urban
beautification,sophiscation of government procedures, inter-tribal
wars,struggle for power and overdependence on non-agricultural sectors
of the economy, at the detriment of intensive agriculture, its not
surprising that millions of kids still go hungry.
Now, if we add the alarming rate of desertification and adverse
climatic conditions to the mix, it shows how imperative it is for
african leaders as a matter of moral obligation to do more than they
are doing now in order to ensure that quality food is made available
to the african people.
Through efficient planning and correct placement of priority, I
believe africa can attain self-sufficiency in food production within
the next decade. African leaders ought to invest adequately in modern
farming techniques, encourage local farmers with farming inputs and
friendly policies. Also, farming should be made attractive to the
african urban youth inorder to have as many hands tilling the ground.
It does no side good ( the government and the masses) when the whole
'army' of african job seekers are gunning after white collar jobs or
office appointments when they could do well as farmers earning a
decent income while contributing their quota to eradicating the evil
called malnutrition in africa.
Efficient storage and processing facilities should also be built in
order to ensure that only minimal produce are lost to spoilage.
African governments should at this point begin to 'think' agriculture
because no matter how technologically advanced africa become, if the
children continue to remain malnourished in their formative years, the
future still remains bleak.
The african union, ecowas and every regional body on the continent
should harp it upon each country to begin an intensive campaign into
boosting the food production on the continent in order to save these
kids who are going through hell for no fault of theirs.

The Right type of Media.

In a world where news evolve by the second, and spread round the world
in a time even less, information falls on the laps of anybody who
wants to know.
But on the other hand, a right perspective to the issue at stake is
not as rampant and widespread as the distorted version that prevails.
This is more reason why I don't get swayed by what is ruling the
airwaves until I'm certain that it is no hoax or a media hype.
I am an avid reader of newspapers both local and international and I
know for certain that 'bad news is good news', but what is getting me
scared is the crave for going after WRONG NEWS!! Clearly,this is not
right and should not be encouraged in any way. So many strifes and
needless hostilities have been started due to the needless publication
of tainted stories.
A good journalist worth his salt should know how to source for good
information and great news, sniff around at the right place, the right
way and at the right time without having to resort to self-immolation
by going ahead with a story he knows has no base.
I'm not against journalists going on an adventure during reporting or
speculating on THE NEXT BIG NEWS, but as in other professions, such
speculation should have a water-tight reason behind it and not just
the desire to be the next biggest name in the journalism universe.
Moreover, to me, I would say the media is the most powerful tool in
righting the wrong that is prevailing all over the world. It behoves
of us to keep the people enlightened on what is really happening,
how,when, by whom, and most especially how it affects their overall
well being, but when such responsibilities are negated when
journalists go in search of ridiculous pieces (such as the kate
meddleton's case in which she was protrayed with a decaying tooth by a
US magazine), the people who scan through their papers and browse
through the internet would have nothing and no one to tell them of
what is really going on.
There are so many issues heating up the world at the moment that
requires tact and professionalism to handle- the syrian case is a good
example. With the syrian government ban on forieign media presence in
the country, it is very hard to verify reports on many media platforms
that are supposely the true representations of events in syria. I know
at this moment that it is a hard case reporting on syria( having to
depend on amateur photos and videos of residents) , but the case still
remains the same, setiments should not be brought to bear while
reporting.
Though as a person, I can't wait to see the bloodshed end and Assad
vacate the Leadership position since I still haven't been able to come
up with any logical reason why a man would want to end the lives of
the people he claims to serve.
Another case that requires caution is the IRAN nuclear dispute
involving much of the world (Isreal and US at the forefront) against
Iran over their alleged nuclear weapons production.
Sensational reports on issue of this magnitude would not in anyway
shed greater light on the matter but would only help to inflame the
polity further bringing about destruction that was avoidable.
Journalist should not misquote me as saying that I am against been
daring while reporting, I'm just a new comer into the journalism
affair, but I choose to believe that there is always a right way to do
the right thing... That is just to get the RIGHT information out and
NOtHING else.